One question which regularly appears on the Usenet newsgroup
dedicated to authoring Interactive Fiction,
rec.arts.int-fiction,
is some variant on "How do I start? Which authoring system is best?".
Unfortunately, the question is difficult to answer succinctly,
for no one system is "better" than the rest.
Each has its strengths and weaknesses,
simply employing alternative approaches and techniques to address differing goals.
A system that perfectly suits one author may well be wrong
-- maybe too intimidating and complex to program,
maybe too basic and limited in scope --
for another author's background experience or creative aspirations.
The most sensible guidance that the IF community can offer is: "Do a little research;
read the FAQ,
study the systems' documentation, look at some sample code,
and select one that you're comfortable with".

Having said that, the number of prospective authoring systems (see the lists at
members.tripod.com/~virtual_cat/games/ and
www.ambrosine.com/resource.html)
is frighteningly long, making exhaustive comparison effectively impossible.
So, limit your options to the systems mentioned here,
which between them cover probably 99% of text adventures currently being written
(with, to be frank, Inform, TADS and ADRIFT accounting for the lion's share).

Also, be aware that your choice could be affected by factors
-- maybe important to you, maybe not -- which aren't immediately apparent.
For example, you may later regret opting for an authoring system with few
active users, if that makes it difficult to obtain assistance or to share
others' code. If you choose a system supported only on a single platform,
you risk losing a significant proportion of your potential
audience. These and other issues are discussed at Stephen Granade's brasslantern.org in
Choosing a Text Adventure Language;
also at that site, you'll find Eric Mayer has a completely different perspective on
Easy IF Languages.
And, you're likely to get some more subjective local advice
by calling "Hello, Sailor".

This site tries to help in your evaluation, by presenting
the same (very small) game using a range of authoring systems.
The implementations have been made reasonably consistent,
so as to facilitate comparison. As well as the game source --
which in a Version 4 browser is supplemented with popup annotations --
we sometimes provide information on how it was compiled,
present a transcript showing it being run, and try to mention some
real games that you might also like to try.

Inventors of new authoring systems are welcome to
contact roger@firthworks.com with details
(but don't be too hasty -- publication here is entirely at my discretion,
and won't be considered until a new system is complete and has been in
active use for at least six months).

The example game, "Cloak of Darkness", is specified below.
Thanks to the wonders of Java applets, you can play the Inform version online, using either
Matthew Russotto's Zplet (uses Java 1) or
Wei-ju Wu's ZMPP (needs Java 2)
without the need to download anything.

The "Cloak of Darkness" specification

The various implementations have been made as similar as possible.
That is, things like object names and room descriptions should be
identical, and the general flow of the game should be pretty comparable.
Having said that, the games are implemented using the native capabilities
of the various systems, using features that a beginner might be expected
to master; there shouldn't be any need to resort to assembler routines,
library hacks, or other advanced techniques. The target is to write
naturally and simply, while sticking as closely as possible to the goal
of making the games directly equivalent.

"Cloak of Darkness" is not going to win prizes for its prose, imagination
or subtlety. Or scope: it can be played to a successful conclusion in
five or six moves, so it's not going to keep you guessing for long.
(On the other hand, it may qualify as the most widely-available game in the history of the genre.)
There are just three rooms and three objects.

The Foyer of the Opera House is where the game begins.
This empty room has doors to the south and west, also an unusable exit
to the north. There is nobody else around.

The Bar lies south of the Foyer, and is initially unlit.
Trying to do anything other than return northwards results in a warning
message about disturbing things in the dark.

On the wall of the Cloakroom, to the west of the Foyer,
is fixed a small brass hook.

Taking an inventory of possessions reveals that the player
is wearing a black velvet cloak which, upon examination,
is found to be light-absorbent. The player can drop the cloak
on the floor of the Cloakroom or, better, put it on the hook.

Returning to the Bar without the cloak reveals
that the room is now lit. A message is scratched in the sawdust
on the floor.

The message reads either "You have won" or "You have lost", depending
on how much it was disturbed by the player while the room was dark.